Archive for March, 2010

Survey: 10 minutes to tell us what you think…

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Tell us what you think about local food and the Company Shops Market
co-op… and help a Senior at Elon University complete her capstone
research project at the same time.

My name is Clementine Wall and I am a Senior anthropology
major at Elon. This semester I am researching local food in
North Carolina for my senior capstone project with Dr. Tom
Mould. Specifically, we are looking at local participation in
community endeavors like the Company Shops Market.

Below is a link to a short survey that asks questions regarding your participation in the Company Shops Market. The survey will take you approximately ten minutes to complete and all responses are completely anonymous. If at any time you feel uncomfortable with a question, you may move on the next without answering.

The results from this survey will be used both in this
academic work at Elon, as well as made available to the Company Shops Market Board to help them in their work in the community. Thank you for your time and your commitment to the Company Shops Market

Yes, I Want To Take The Survey

Posted in Things of Interest | No Comments »

Tentative Menu Announced for April 7th CSM Community Dinner @ Fat Frogg

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

If you haven’t eaten at The Fat Frogg before then you are in for a treat. This is not your typical bar food. The Fat Frogg prides themselves on their high quality, fresh made menu.

Appetizers:

  • Red Oak Battered Pickle Chips
  • Chips & Salsa – Salsa is made fresh daily by the Fat Frogg kitchen crew

Soup:

  • Tomato Bisque – This is a creamy tomato based soup. When manager Patrick Ustach brought out a sample to try, it was love at first taste.

Entrees: Your choice of one

  • Red Wilson
    Hand Shaved Turkey grilled with sauteed mushrooms and melted pepper jack cheese on a delicious-straight-from-the-bakery-in-Raleigh kaiser roll with a side of golden fries.
  • Chicken Philly
    Fresh in-house sliced chicken with Sautéed Onions, Green Peppers, Mushrooms and Plenty of Melted Provolone. Comes with a side of fries.
  • Build Your Own Burger
    Burgers are made fresh each day in-house “because at the Frogg we don’t believe in a frozen burger!!” and are served on a bakery fresh artisan bun with a side of fries. You will be able to fix your burger just the way you like it with a choice of fresh toppings: Mayo, Mustard, Ketchup, Lettuce, Tomato, Cheeses (American, Swiss, Cheddar, Provolone), Bacon, Onion, Chili, Slaw and Pickles.
  • Orchard Salad
    A Fresh Bed of Romaine Served with Walnuts, Cranberries, Mandarin Oranges, Apples and Blue Cheese Crumbles served with our raspberry vinaigrette.

Dessert:

  • Mini-Sampler of Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheese Cake and Fried Oreos

Drinks:

  • Your choice of soft drink or tea is included.
    If you prefer to drink something else (beer, wine, etc) you can opt for a $1.50 credit on your bar tab instead.

Tax: included in the ticket price

Gratuity: included in the ticket price

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$50,000 investment Received Today

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

We are thrilled to announce that we received a $50,000 community investment note today from the Smith Family Foundation. We would like to give thanks to the Smith Family Foundation and our many individual investors for moving us substantially farther towards reaching our goal of opening the co-op this year.

We can’t do this without your support, especially your financial support. Unlike many businesses that you may be familiar with, the co-op business model is different. The Company Shops Market Co-op Grocery Store is funded, owned and operated by YOU, our owners and investors.

To learn more about the Community Investment Loan Program, please visit www.companyshopsmarket.coop/become_an_investor.html

Posted in Co-op updates | No Comments »

Press Release: Renovations begin at the Company Shops Market grocery co-op building!

Monday, March 15th, 2010

If you’ve walked down Front Street in downtown Burlington lately, you may have noticed that demolition and renovation work on the future home of Company Shops Market is happening right now.  The first phase involves improvements to the building including a brand new insulated roof and removal of old floor tiling.

Company Shops Market - Renovation Begins - Crane Lifting Old Machinery Off The Roof - Photo copyright Sarah Cook
(Workers use a crane to remove old equipment from the roof of the CSM building)

In case you haven’t heard, Company Shops Market will be a community owned and locally operated grocery store that will feature wholesome, locally-grown foods.  Once open, the store will also include a hot bar and eating area, creating a destination to help revitalize downtown Burlington.

You may be asking yourself: when will the co-op open?  The answer is: it’s up to you!  The co-op model is a different approach to business. It’s built from the ground up by the community, for the community.  That means the community needs to fund it before it can open its doors.

So how does the community fund the co-op so it will open?  To get involved, please consider buying an ownership share and investing.  You can find details at companyshopsmarket.coop.  Help support your community and local farmers by making Company Shops Market a reality!

Posted in Co-op updates | No Comments »

Company Shops Market in the Press: The Times-News

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

The Times-News wrote a great article on the recent roof construction and progress being made towards opening the door of the co-op. Thank you to reporter Michael Abernathy for writing this great article and sharing it with the Times-News readers.

Downtown Burlington’s cooperative grocery store is inching ever closer to its opening day, organizers say.

The doors of Company Shops Market at 268 E. Front Street should be open by the end of this year.

Starting Monday, the roof of the old A&P Grocery will be repaired. Other work to the building’s ceiling and interior will begin as soon as the co-op secures financing…. Read the full article here

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Posted in Co-op updates | No Comments »

Company Shops Owners Meeting: 4/20/2010 @ Paramount Theater in Downtown Burlington.

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Save The Date! The annual Company Shops Owners Meeting will be held on 4/20/2010 at the Paramount Theater in Downtown Burlington. We’ll post more specific details as soon as we have them.

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Save The Date: CSM Community Table – April 7th, 2010

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Upcoming Event:

Community Table Dinner: The Fat Frogg
 An Owners-Only Evening of Food and Fellowship on Wed. April 7th, 2010 7-9pm @ The Fat Frogg Bar & Grill in Elon.

Following the success of our recent Community Table event at Anna Thai, we have decided to make this a monthly event. So mark your calendars for the first Wednesday of the month.

We are tentatively planning to hold our next Community Table dinner event at The Fat Frogg Bar & Grill, located in Elon.  This event is for Company Shops Market Owners Only. We are still working out the details and will let you know more specifics as we get them.

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Video: Tony Crider speaks @ March Community Table Event

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Company Shops Market owner and volunteer, Tony Crider, speaks about what we as owners need to do to get the market open this year.

1) Recruit new owners

2) Make a Loan to the Co-op: become an investor

3) Volunteer

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Posted in Editorials and Guest Posts | No Comments »